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Late country music legend Johnny Cash's great-niece has been murdered in Tennessee.

In the latest tragedy for the Cash family, Courtney Cash was stabbed to death during an altercation and stuffed inside a large wooden box in her home in Putnam County on Wednesday.

Her partner, who has not been identified, is recovering from his injuries at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

Johnny Cash's brother Tommy, who is the deceased's grandfather, has issued a statement which reads: "We ask for your prayers for the Cash family at this time. Courtney and her boyfriend are beloved members of my family and like you we have a lot of questions and emotions that we are beginning to sort through today.

"We ask you to respect our privacy and appreciate all the support that the public and media has always offered me and my family, as we handle the loss of our grand-daughter. We are completely heartbroken."

A man named Wayne Gary Masciaella has been taken into custody and is being held without bond on a first-degree murder charge.